It’s not fun knowing someone hates you. “Hate” is such a strong word anyway. But…

“The world is full of very average things made by people who don’t want to upset anyone, or too eager to please their peers. I believe you have to have an opinion – choose daddy or chips, I really don’t mind, just don’t say “I don’t really know”. And when you have opinions and strongly held beliefs you’ve got to be prepared to get some flack – in fact that’s part of the deal.You can’t have the nice feedback without accepting that some people are going to hate what you do.”

- Brendan Dawes

When we avoid discussing failures, we deprive both ourselves and our colleagues of the lessons we’ve learned from them.

We think it’s important to be okay with failure- and make the most of it. But once you’ve accepted it, and it actually happens, shouldn’t your (for lack of a better word) self-therapy continue? If it was your own failure and no one else’s, you need to help your teammates avoid the same mistake.

No need to get all mushy, but it helps to talk about it. Keep Reading

This is about how our internal conversation went last week:

“So you heard about the Posterous Switch Campaign, right?”

Position #1: Bold-Faced Reality. Suck it up.

Posterous believes in their product, and is willing to stick its neck out for it. They didn’t insult anyone outright- and if another company was insulted, they should step back and evaluate what can be done better. Keep Reading

We recently received the following e-mail from a curious user about how we, and other people use Paprika:

“I’ve been a staction user for a while now, and I started to “get” the flow of using staction after a few days. Keep Reading

I was intrigued by the article itself, and while I had no intentions of commenting, I did read the first of 78 responses. I was surprised at how articulate this particular commenter was (what blogs have I been reading anyway??) and couldn’t help but read a few more.

As I got further and further into the debate of whether or not management is considered a profession, I decided this is the way all comment threads should be. Keep Reading

“New ingredients — the new addition of every item, product, person, routine — gets a rigorous evaluation before I add it (“Does this fit into…”). Being aware of any addition makes it part of the conversation and, importantly, there is now a conversation to be had.

What you include, and likewise, what you actively choose not to include is what becomes part of you. Being able to do so while being consistent with what you know to be true is the intersection between conviction and risk. And that won the crown every time.” – from Bobulate.

She nailed it.

We can’t just throw ingredients into the mix without first analyzing why they should be there in the first place. It’s careless. Why would we do that with our apps’ features?

Realizing you have nothing original left to say is a heavily depressing emotion- especially when your job depends on your ability to generate content. But don’t worry- a writing marathon could be just what you need to dig up some ideas you didn’t even know you had. Not just for writers, this strenuous exercise applies to… well, everyone who can type who needs to come up with ideas. Keep Reading

It’s a frustrating place to be- in a conversation with someone who is only waiting for you to finish your sentence so they can start theirs. They’re not really listening to what you’re saying because they’re too busy thinking of a response.

What, they think they can read your mind? How pompous.

I think it’s really important to watch out for this with users in a support situation. Whether it’s by phone, or by e-mail, take the time to hear all of what they say. You may have to read between the lines, or catch the slight inflection of their voice to get the real message anyway. Be an active listener... or better yet, a reflective listener.

Whether it’s with your users, or your neighbors, don’t sabotage your relationships by manipulating the conversation. Something important might be being said while you’re busy retaliating.

Don’t know how?

“If you’re finding it particularly difficult to concentrate on what someone is saying, try repeating their words mentally as they say it – this will reinforce their message and help you control mind drift.”

“There’s growing evidence to suggest that innovation flourishes when people are given the space to make mistakes…. Why, then don’t we allow, much less encourage, making mistakes?” – Vineet Nayar, The Harvard Business Review.

I couldn’t agree more. Failing is part of life and often leads to some of the greatest discoveries along the way! Plus, it’s a great way to learn. We shouldn’t be afraid to fail; we should get really excited at the opportunity to turn it into a positive.

Now we’re one step closer to what works best.

If you’re anything like us, you’re a small, diverse team. You wear many hats, and your job role is… well, dynamic.

There isn’t an entire group of people devoted to branding your company, as with some larger gigs, so it’s up to each of you to manage your reputation. Keep Reading